GHGT-18 Closing Plenary: Celebrating Achievements and Looking Ahead to Copenhagen

As GHGT-18 in Perth, Australia, reached its final session, the closing plenary celebrated the conference’s achievements, recognised outstanding contributions to the field and looked ahead to the next chapter of the GHGT series.

Best Paper Awards

The plenary began with the presentation of the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control (IJGGC) Best Paper Awards, recognising excellence in carbon capture and storage research. Professor Sam Krevor, Editor-in-Chief of the journal, introduced the awards and celebrated the researchers whose work continues to advance the field.

The 2025 Best Paper Award was awarded to Abreu, M., Babu, A. S., & Rochelle, G. T. for the paper entitled: High CO₂ removal with aqueous piperazine at the NCCC pilot plant under NGCC conditions. This paper was published in: Volume 143, May 2025, 104346.

The 2026 Best Paper Award was awarded to Annan, P., Rinaldi, A. P., Tuinstra, K., Nuus, M., Zbinden, D., Schefer, S., Guglielmi, Y., & Zappone, A. for the paper entitled: 5-year in situ caprock fault leakage experiment at Mont Terri: A mechanics-based analysis. This paper was published in: Volume 153, June 2026, 104675.

Special Recognition Award

Continuing the recognition of outstanding contributions, Kelly Thambimuthu, Chair of the IEAGHG Programme, presented the Special Recognition Award to Paul Feron in appreciation of his longstanding dedication and service to IEAGHG.

A valued member of the IEAGHG Executive Committee for over 16 years, Paul has made significant contributions to the organisation, including his involvement in the GHGT and PCCC Programme Committees. The award acknowledged his commitment, expertise and contributions to IEAGHG and the advancement of carbon capture.

As Paul retires from his role, the award provided an opportunity to express sincere thanks for his many years of service and the lasting contribution he has made to the CCS community.

GHGT-19 Heads to Copenhagen

One of the plenary’s most anticipated announcements was the next destination for the GHGT conference series. Tim Dixon, Director and General Manager of IEAGHG, introduced Karina M. Søgaard, Director of INNO-CCUS, who announced Copenhagen, Denmark, as the host city for GHGT-19.

Karina outlined Denmark’s progress in carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), highlighting key milestones in the country’s development. In 2019, Denmark set a target to reduce emissions by 70% by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. In 2020, CO₂ storage became legal, while CCUS was identified as a research mission under Denmark’s Green Research Strategy, laying the foundation for INNO-CCUS. In 2021, Denmark adopted its National CCS Strategy, with €5 billion allocated across three tenders to support full-chain CCS projects. This progress continued in 2022 with a world-first cross-border agreement on CO₂ transport, followed by the Greensand offshore pilot injection in 2023.

Looking ahead, 2026 marks a significant milestone with the first full-scale CCS value chain in operation, involving the storage of biogenic CO₂ in Greensand. From 2027 onwards, further developments in onshore CO₂ storage and large-scale CCS value chains are anticipated.

Karina concluded by inviting delegates to participate in a reflective exercise titled “A Postcard from Your Future Self”, asking: “What has happened since Perth that you are most proud of?” The postcards will be displayed at GHGT-19 in Copenhagen, giving delegates an opportunity to revisit their reflections and celebrate the achievements and progress made since Perth.

Closing Remarks

Tim Dixon reflected on the success of GHGT-18, highlighting its extensive programme of presentations, engaging panel discussions, successful business stream and inspiring plenary sessions, particularly the Future Leaders panel.

He emphasised IEAGHG’s central role in bringing the international CCS community together, expressing his hope that delegates left Perth with fresh ideas, new opportunities for collaboration and renewed motivation to advance the development and deployment of CCS technologies.

Tim Dixon closed GHGT-18 by thanking the steering committee, technical committee, business stream committee, co-organisers, exhibitors and all sponsors, including the Gold and Silver Sponsors and Destination Partners, whose contributions helped make GHGT-18 a success.

The GHGT community now looks ahead to Copenhagen, Denmark, for GHGT-19, where delegates will reunite to share progress, exchange ideas and continue shaping the future of carbon capture and storage.